1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to protective sports equipment and, in particular, an arm, shin or other type of guard that provides improved flexibility and fit without compromising protection.
2. Description of the Background
Protective sports equipment is commonly used and, indeed, is often required to be used in many organized sports such as lacrosse, hockey, and other contact sports. For example, shin guards are common precautions against painful contusions to the lower leg when the shin is kicked by another player or is struck by a puck or ball. Conventional shin guards are typically fabric-encased rubber pads or rigid plates, with elasticized fabric straps that wrap around the leg. Even with gaps or breaks between the protective pads to allow for flexibility, there is a limitation to how far adjacent pads can move relative to each other and still maintain adequate protection of a player. When such shin guards undergo deformation due to normal use by a wearer, adjacent pads come into contact with each other and this arrests/resists further motion. In addition, the inflexibility of the fabric layers and liner resist stretching and further arrests/resists motion. Thus, these shin guards are still fairly rigid in design and compromise flexibility for protection. In straining against these forces a player loses dexterity and burns tremendous energy. In addition, these conventional shin guards tend to slip downward toward the ankle, or rotate backward on the leg during play. As a result they tend to require frequent repositioning and/or adjustment to prevent irritation to the ankle. If no break in the action were to occur, the player would suffer with the misplaced shin guard until the play stopped. Other types of guards such as arm guards suffer in the same respects.
Shin guards with integral socks are also known. With these, a rigid plate is essentially built into a sock and often includes a stirrup that extends underneath the foot. These straps and stirrups help to maintain the position of the shin guard. However, the increase in positioning stability often results in losing degrees of freedom of movement of the shin and calf, as the straps and rigid construction of the plate of the shin guard inhibit the movements of the leg, particularly the flexing of the muscles of the calf. Such restriction of movement of the calf muscles is particularly problematic in a sport like hockey, where quick-cutting agility is required.
Some attempts have been made to provide guards that protect while maximizing the flexing capabilities of the muscles and joints guarded. These designs however typically include removing portions of the protecting rigid plates to reduce the stiffness of the guards or hinging the rigid plates, neither of which accomplishes the goal of protection and flexibility. Therefore, a need remains for a sports guard capable of protecting adequately while providing improved flexibility characteristics.
What is needed then is a protective sports guard that provides improved flexibility, increased protection, and a better fit that will not shift or come loose during play.